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Autumnwatch
"If Autumnwatch will help the next generation appreciate wildlife and the environment, then I'd like to think we're doing our bit towards looking after our planet..." Behind the Scenes - Cee talks to the Series Producer of Autumnwatch, Clare Bradley Cee: What was the inspiration behind Springwatch and Autumnwatch? Clare: My own children, now 9 and 10, have always taken a keen interest in much adult wildlife programming and through that have developed a very keen interest in nature and the environment. So when the idea of a children's version of Springwatch was first mooted I was very excited about it as I could totally see the synergies between the 2 programming areas and jumped at the chance to be able to work with the Natural History Unit in Bristol. This is the kind of thing that the BBC does best - and it's fantastic to be able to bring some of the wealth of wonderful wildlife programming to our young audience. Cee: How much preparation goes into a series like Autumnwatch? Clare: We started work on Autumnwatch the day after we finished Springwatch! That gave us 12 weeks to find, film and edit our insert films (What's in your patch?/Nature Detectives/Giggleswick Park/Bill & Jelly/Who's hiding in the hide?) ready to film the linking material at the watermill. On top of this we had to set about finding a new presenter, commissioning a new song, new graphics and of course work with the website team. The 'Autumn Harvest' song, alone, took over a week to shoot and edit. Cee: What made you change the presenters for Autumnwatch? Clare: First I must say - we LOVE Justin! And I do hope people don't see this as a demotion as it certainly isn't. We decided to make the change in presenters for a number of reasons. Firstly, Justin has a gift for comedy that is second to none and we really wanted to show him at his best and thus designed Giggleswick Park as a vehicle for him. A new series of Something Special is due to launch very soon and this, together with Justin's work for presentation, Jungle Justin and the repeats of Tikkabilla and Higgeldy House (not to mention Tweenies and Todd World) mean that he is popping up just about everywhere. Nothing wrong with that, of course, and I know there are some of you that just can't get enough of him, but we did want to make the very best use of him. We also felt that it would be a good move for CBeebies to have its own wildlife expert as, looking ahead, we do hope to be able to bring you more wildlife programmes and it was a good opportunity to try Mike Dilger who has come up through the Springwatch programme. Cee: Have you always been passionate about the natural world? Clare: I certainly inherited an interest in nature from my parents, though living in a city I didn't feel I was exposed to much of it - apart from my Mum's allotment which I didn't think counted at the time (of course I've learned differently since). However, through my own children's interest and wonderful BBC Natural History programming, I have learned loads and have become a total fan. I think I was offered the job on Springwatch because as an avid viewer I had watched every one of the previous programmes (6 week's worth) and was so excited to meet the people who made the programmes that I just wouldn't shut up. Cee: What have been your favourite moments in creating Autumnwatch? Clare: That's a hard one. I really love all the filming with the children - they are so central to our take on wildlife. Possibly my favourite moment was a comment from 5 year old Nature Detective, Abdullah, who, on opening up some conker cases, discovered that some conkers were brown and some where white. When asked by Nature Chris why he thought that might be, he replied "Because they were born like that". An interesting insight into the acceptance of the diverse world our children now inhabit. And of course it was a very special privilege to be joined by Sir David Attenborough at the watermill - we felt it was a real stamp of approval that he wanted to be involved in the programme. Cee: Sir David Attenborough told us that programmes like Springwatch and Autumnwatch have encouraged our audience to enjoy nature, and that they encourage people to go out and see what's happening in the real world. This must make you very proud. Clare: Yes it does. We've had such a lot of great feedback about the programme; it clearly has had an impact on the lives of our viewers and their families which is what we all hope for. And if it will help the next generation appreciate wildlife and the environment then I'd like to think we're doing our bit towards looking after our planet. Category:Shows Category:CBeebies Topics Category:CBeebies Category:Fall Category:2006 Category:2007 Category:2008 Category:Quality articles